The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
Dunn, Six Blazers Honored by American Conference
5/19/2026 11:00:00 AM | Baseball
IRVING, Texas – The American Conference office has announced its season superlatives for the 2026 season, voted on by the league's coaches. Six Blazers were named to various all-conference teams. Head Coach Casey Dunn was named the Coach of the Year by his peers.
Dunn received American Conference Coach of the Year honors for the first time in his career. The only other college Coach of the Year award Dunn received came in 2019 when he led the Samford Bulldogs to a 41-win season in the Southern Conference. This season, Dunn led the Blazers to their second 30-win season this decade and their first 15-win season in conference play since 2015.
John Paul Head (OF) and Max Price (UTL) were named to the conference's First Team.
Head led the conference and was one of 31 players in the country with 20 home runs in his career. He is the first player in UAB history with 20 home runs and 10 stolen bases in a single season. Head was first in the AAC in slugging percentage (.677), second in total bases (134), fourth in RBI (54), seventh in runs scored (51), and seventh in walks (39). On May 16, Head became the fourth player in American Conference history to have 20 home runs in a season, joining Bryson Worrell (East Carolina, 2022), Hunter Goodman (Memphis, 2021) and Kody Hoese (Tulane, 2019).
Price played in 32 games this season and compiled a .968 OPS with six home runs. Price, a primary catcher, platooned with freshman Austin Pierzynski behind the plate this season. Price hit two walk-off home runs this season, February 19 vs. Cincinnati and March 29 vs. Tulane.
Landon Beaver (DH) was honored on the All-Conference Second Team. Beaver, who leads the Blazers with a .322 average, 21 multi-hit games, and 16 doubles, started all 55 games for UAB this season. Beaver compiled a .965 OPS and was second on the team with 101 total bases and 12 stolen bases. The sophomore from Phenix City, AL also finished third in the AAC in walks (43).
The Green and Gold had a trio of freshmen named to the All-Freshman Team. Baylor Roberts, Austin Pierzynski, and Carter Samuelson were all named to the team.
Baldwyn, MS native, Baylor Roberts, started in 53 of 54 games he appeared in this season, all at shortstop. Roberts recorded 41 hits and registered an OPS of .643 in his true freshman season. Roberts registered nine multi-hit games, including a career best three knocks in a win over Jacksonville State on March 24.
Austin Pierzynski had a stellar season behind the plate for the Blazers. Pierzynski started in 34 of 36 games he played in and blasted six home runs along with an .801 OPS. Pierzynski tallied his first career multi-home run game on April 24 against Memphis. The Orlando, FL native caught seven runners stealing this season which was tied for seventh in the league. Pierzynski also recorded multiple hits in seven games.
Carter Samuelson became part of the UAB pitching rotation in mid-March and finished with the third-most innings on the team with 56.1. Samuelson, a Springville, AL native, finished second on the team with five wins and third on the team in strikeouts (37). Samuelson tossed a career high 6.0 innings pitched in a win at South Florida on April 18.
Player of the Year
Drew Detlefsen, Sr., OF, UTSA
Pitcher of the Year
Conor Myles, Grad, LHP, UTSA*
Newcomer Position Player of the Year
Jayson Jones, Sr., INF, Wichita State
Newcomer Pitcher of the Year
Tanner Wiggins, R-So., RHP, Rice
Defensive Player of the Year
Jevin Relaford, Sr., INF, South Florida
Coach of the Year
Casey Dunn, UAB
All-Conference First Team
P – Ethan Norby, Jr., East Carolina
P – James Litman, So., Florida Atlantic
P – Conor Myles, Grad, UTSA*
RP – Joseph Webb, Sr., East Carolina
RP – Sam Simmons, Sr., UTSA
C – Andrew Stucky, Grad, UTSA*
1B – Caden Miller, So., UTSA*
2B – Braden Burress, So., East Carolina
SS – Jevin Relaford, Sr., South Florida*
3B – Jayson Jones, Sr., Wichita State
OF – JP Head, So., UAB
OF – Drew Detlefsen, Sr., UTSA
OF – Jason Wachs, So., Tulane
DH – Dylan Koontz, Grad, Charlotte
UTL – Max Price, R-Jr., UAB
All-Conference Second Team
P – Ryland Urbanczyk, R-Jr., Rice
P – Connor Kelley, Jr., UTSA
P – Matthew Cuccias, Jr., Wichita State
RP – Ty Thames, Fr., Rice
RP – Brady Pacha, Grad, Wichita State
C – Lance Trippel, Sr., South Florida
1B – Cody Gunderson, Sr., Charlotte
2B – JC Davis, Jr., Rice
SS – Javon Hernandez, Grad, Memphis
3B – Nick Romano, R-Sr., Florida Atlantic
OF – Alec DeMartino, Grad, Charlotte
OF – Todd Hudson, Sr., Charlotte
OF – Jack Herring, Sr., East Carolina
DH – Landon Beaver, So., UAB
UTL – Matt Rose, Sr., South Florida
All-Freshman Team
Austin Pierzynski, C, UAB
Baylor Roberts, SS, UAB
Carter Samuelson, P, UAB
Grady Lenahan, OF, East Carolina
Ethan Rose, P, East Carolina
Ethan Sanders, P, Rice
Ty Thames, P, Rice
Jack Lutz, 3B, South Florida
Dominic Pontbriant, P, South Florida
Michael Senay, P, South Florida*
* denotes unanimous selection
NOTES
- UAB has seven different members honored by the conference, the highest total since 1995 when the Green and Gold had 10 players selected to the Great Midwest All-Conference teams.
- John Paul Head and Max Price are the second and third UAB players to be named to the American Conference First Team, joining Blayze Berry in 2024.
- Casey Dunn is the third head coach in program history to be named Coach of the Year, joining Brian Shoop (CUSA, 2014) and Pete Rancont (Great Midwest, 1992).
- The five hitters selected to the All-Conference teams have contributed to the second-highest team home run total in program history (80).
- The three freshmen named to the All-Freshman Team are the most in a single season in school history.
- For the first time in American Conference history, two catchers from the same team were selected to the All-Conference teams (Max Price and Austin Pierzynski). Pierzynski is also the first ever primary catcher named to the All-Freshman Team.
The Blazers head to Clearwater, FL for the American Baseball Championship. UAB clinched a first round bye with Thursday's win at UTSA. The Green and Gold will await the winner of (8) Charlotte vs. (5) Memphis. The winner of that game will take on UAB on Thursday afternoon, 47 minutes after the conclusion of the morning game. The tournament bracket and schedule can be found here.
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